Linux Commodity computing is computing done on commodity computers as opposed to supermicrocomputers or boutique computers. Commodity computers are computer systems manufactured by multiple vendors, incorporating components based on open standards.

A device driver is computer program allowing other computer programs to interact with a computer hardware device. Writing a Linux device driver is considered as a black art by many. If you ever been tempted to try writing a device driver, this howto will serve as a kick start guide:

For many seasoned Linux developers, device drivers still remain a bit of a mysterious black art practiced by a select few. While no single article could possibly attempt to covered everything there is to know about writing drivers, Valerie Henson gives us a brief taste of what’s involved, by implementing a device to return “Hello World” using all the major driver frameworks.

On a related note if you just want get a comprehensive overview of kernel configuration and building, a critical task for Linux users and administrators, try Linux Kernel in a Nutshell